David Warner Opens Up on Test Retirement, Candice Fires Back at Critics
David Warner, the explosive Australian opener, has revealed his reasoning behind a low-key Test retirement and the pressure he felt during his final series.
Warner, 37, announced his retirement last year, culminating in a farewell match at his home ground, the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). He announced his retirement from test cricket at the commencement of Cricket World Cup 2023.
While whispers of retirement had followed him for years, Warner recently elaborated on his decision on the “Backstage With Cooper and Matty Johns” podcast.
“The focus shouldn’t have been on me,” Warner emphasized, rejecting notions of pressure. “It’s about the team. I did the media because it’s the team first.”
Warner had initially envisioned a grander send-off at Lord’s Cricket Ground in England, but a string of underwhelming performances led him to reconsider. “Lord’s was the plan,” he admitted, “but I wasn’t performing. I didn’t want to let the team down by just hanging on.”
Throughout his career, Warner remained a famous personality, sometimes for good reasons and sometimes for not so good reasons. He was involved in infamous sandpaper gate saga, had a awful verbal confrontation with Quinton de Kock in the same series.
Later Faf Du Plessis in his autobiography described David Warner as “not an innocent” figure in sandpaper gate saga for which he was banned from leading the Australian side. Critics have always attacked David Warner whenever the opportunity was there.
Despite facing criticism throughout his career, most notably from former teammate Mitchell Johnson, Warner found motivation to excel. However, his wife Candice wasn’t as passive.
“There was always negativity,” she said. “David brushed it off, but it bothered me. I have a list of those who said awful things. It felt like a pile-on for headlines.”
Warner is expected to participate in the upcoming T20 World Cup, potentially marking his international retirement in the shortest format.
